The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-05-19
The Capture CT EastpOrt.

/ n .lt a.
copied from your paner which has recently an
pcared in the t,.top pai,, poc,,, a. r., ,b. c,,,,n,.
of Castiuc by the British in s4 has interested me
| An un.la of u,;no r,,,, I,,l II N,,,ur, Of rho
4o.h ncpt l. = Ineon,r,. ,;.ru.c, in ,h,, affair A.
his ncco,,ut may ma .,nntr;n, Il, tho history nf
| the event and In, in,cresti,,. IN vour re,d,.rs |
fake pleasure in yi,.. i. a. ,,len r,,,,, his ,,,,,I
written during the last davs of his life wbil, shut
| in bv the scierc Of l,tarsI,ur, ya in lsf,.
! "Ju]y ii. 1911. Asvc w,r, sittin,. ON our piozxo
this morning cpiovinya c,, ,re,zc from the n,.cau
| suddenly the reach on strait inside th, GRAND
| Menan became whitened L,- the canvas Of = l,r,,
fleet of vessels MAKING directly for our h,rbor Ii
| was bcoutiful siaht lint rather omin,r. We
| were immediately ordered tu man our batteries
| which consisted of four - n,undcrs ,,loc.d on
b,rlattc ov., b,1f cir,.,,,,r r,ronat ol,,t trro
| feet high leavjna ,ll exnnscd aI,ovr
| our garrison at this time consisted, Of between
20 and 50 men fit for iutv-barely sufficient To man
| the four .rnus W., som, n,lr out , sloon nf ynr
| ahead bearing at masthead a White flag She
| approached within Il half mile, hen a beat full
| mannel shot out from her side also bearing the
| flag of peace She soon touched shore and an
| officer spranw out and quickly made his way to ,h,
| fort was directed ID receive him outside thp
| gate. On demanding his business he enauired if
| l was the Commanding officer. "No." r,ulied.
| sbut am authorized to receive vour comnuuico
| tions.' Il can only treat with the Commanding
| oliccr,' was his rtjoinocr and with that made
towards the gate with the charartcr site hautc,r of
| hi, nation He was uuickly brou..Gt tn y st,od
| and left him under the surveillance of tin, ruor
| drill. referred to Major Fillcluoun He althor
zeti me to conduct the officer to hcaduuarrrs and
| when introduced he verbally demanded the sur
render of the fort with the men and a,nntluition,
| of war. The Major was not then PREPARED to
answer hut would take the term. into ron>iG,ro
| ton The officer then drew from his pocket pro-
| | oSa, signed l,v Com Hardy and Col PiIhiurt,n
demanding unconditional surrender hut stipulat.
| ing in the event Of compliance that tie com
| mi.>inncd officers would be rarnIc, ami thc mon
| discharged.
Our Major called the officers touethcr forcri,,u
taton and laid the demand hefur, us, asking that
W., carh rive orr onuion. Nr,rtina, ,h, officer,
became r.~tiy, and ,rmaudc.l mn immr,li.t,. an
swer, or to be permitted tu retire. The Major b,
came somewhat :,n.s,y nt his n,rtiu,ritv and
made A, harsh rrnIv snvipr that M. v,S NOT tn In,
bullicd into a ha,tv decision in :; uuc,,iun ,f :.
much Importance: that th, officer might return to
his ship and if the fla. of the fort WAS lowered It
m;.eht l,. regarded n, surrender After Ia. with.
drew We each gave our opinion as to Welding uu
the fort beginning with myself As second in com.
mamd | WAS for giving them ii round or two from
the battery and then r,trcatin- if possible, through
the island to Il narrow par of the strait, where
there wa~ usually a ferry boat. to the main land
This scheme was rot rel-he for some of the
officers had noticed one OF the vessel, -on.
around To guard that pass The other officers
thought it would hc foluwe hl an unjustiiiablc
sacrifice of life and preferred surrender, asserting
that there WIS no possibility of c.rlpp rhi,
opinion agreeing with the Maor he ordered the
ila.s lowered and tim, passed Fort Sullivan into
the hands of the rneny.
1t was mortfyIny circun lance for us t. be thus
compelled to give mp our command but no cel,>urr
imputed lay the government, and un,itr the cir
cum>tanccS we took the only wise and safe course.
subsequent int"rmatoM proved ;h.tt il we had
taken the ruul>, | ;ll suggested. that it MuuIl
have been attended hy :: fearful loss of lfe-thr
only line of retreat being rut,lcL hy Il ~iuop Of
war The fort was fully invested hv 10 shil,S of
wHr-;he iinc Of battle shin Kami!ii,, at their
he:.l. Their land force. con-i-,c, Of two r,.ri
m,nt. of infantry with , ,,ottrrv of orilIrr,- in
ou,n,.iiiou tp which fnrrr we ho.l uuI, aInut :,
men Ii wis t,n ,r.rrr.tr =; rbaur,. for :uv show,
of success for IL. our men were, immediately
transf,rre t, a 1ran~te,rt for Halifax and nnthir.c
rru;iucJ for n. bun T., r<,rntp ,r ,u,.,l, ,rrur,
u,,, ,os.nn,t ,n, ,,nI,,,l fnr r,.,un >rt,.,y,,
,,i,ns ANY. ,nl +, .e,,,I I,.,f f ,r,II, W.. ~
l,u,th u,rr nrruitt,.,l II, ,,L,. =. ,,,u ,.h,,,.,
which tl,r ,n,n,, had seized in ti ,.,r,, .,,I ii.
i, for orr ,nv,rr Wcr,..,a.>.,] j. skinner, I.;i in
our small stores ana mt ID sen
The following ,,ay we were. rha.,.l lv :, small
British nriyurer and = Ian thrnun ob;.,t uf us.
but from iruor,a.r an vili,lnrs. o,,r .liu,.,a.
vould hot come 10. when tl,. fellow. r,,,n,,,l f.,
at h,jf Il uun Shot distance and cav, u =, ful
br,a-i.lc of crane oar sails and rigging. sun,
,l severely. but rnr,uua.rl, NOT =, man v.rs hu,t
This brought ou, skinner +, his sense. ,,,,J i,.
s,iIs ,,ln, ,Io,yn H., III. ri,u .,,l ~, ,,,.r,.,,
tu,ilv ,Yl.,,,l ,,u h,,.,I ,,,,r,,..,,, ,,., ,;,i
,,,,..,, .,,. ,l.r+, ~, .,,,,1i,,,., ,.,+
,,, so,n, d ,,ution .ou,,,i,,I to r,l,.. y. mi.
v,. ,n,. ,;.s, tr,,,,I. nur,,>t,,, i, t,.,,l,,.i
vhcr. v-,. 1tt in to l,,ul one of u,,,. rnnn,t,,-
There our -choopcr w.. seized hv :; man, ,l,in,ipe
uw nuis hp and rather than ,,tr. thu. ,,,jut and
he subject to DELAY wr gave lip the vessel and per
formed the remainder of our Journey by ianl ar
living in Boston july 10th"
The above differs materially from th,. account
given in YOUR columns but it .unrort- enc state
: Ia, am,
f., think in me absence nf oil or and moro. ~ ,ht,
Testimony than Given in >our account that tl,, one
Just given is the correct one Us it i, quite graphic
in its "details and is from a officer vl,. v,,ld mot
have omitted s,,.h n, .,c uf r..;s,.rr. ,,, l,.>od
aS would have. been shown by the blowing mn rf
the magazine as stated in yoir o.rnuu.
VERY truly. Iou< NJ. y,r<,u
louhridr, Mass MAY 1857
Inur corrrspon,I,ut has f,Il.n into :, -intei,l,r
error Til. extract. rive, from the. in1rnal ut hi
,u,..tnr ;,.l, T.. ,i,, ,.,ntur, ,f E,.t ,t mad ,,l